ArticleBMJ open2023
Exploration of the Acceptance of the Use of Procalcitonin Point-of-Care Testing and Lung Ultrasonography by General Practitioners to Decide on Antibiotic Prescriptions for Lower Respiratory Infections: A Qualitative Study.
Article in BMJ open, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03191071 (Procalcitonin and Lung Ultrasonography Point-of-care Testing to Decide on Antibiotic Prescription in Patients With Lower Respiratory Tract Infection at Primary Care Level), which is not on this map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Procalcitonin and Lung Ultrasonography Point-of-care Testing to Decide on Antibiotic Prescription in Patients With Lower Respiratory Tract Infection at Primary Care Level: Pragmatic Cluster Randomized Trial
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 9 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors influencing physicians' antimicrobial prescribing decisions: A systematic review of qualitative studies.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Use of qualitative and mixed methods research in diagnostic technology evaluation and implementation: insights from a systematic review.Diagnostic and prognostic research · 2026Review
- Ten Questions on Using Lung Ultrasonography to Diagnose and Manage Pneumonia in Hospital-at-Home Model: Part III-Synchronicity and Foresight.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The effect of focused lung ultrasound on antibiotic prescribing in patients with acute lower respiratory tract infections in Danish general practice (PLUS-FLUS): a pragmatic, randomised controlled, post-market trial.EClinicalMedicine · 2025Article
- Evaluating general practitioners' focused lung ultrasound competence and findings in patients with suspected community-acquired pneumonia in general practice.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2025Article
- Article
- 'Shades of grey': a focus group study on diagnostic uncertainty among general practitioners using point-of-care ultrasound.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2025Article
- Perception of antimicrobial stewardship interventions in Swiss primary care: a mixed-methods survey.BJGP open · 2025Article
- Factors Influencing the Implementation of Antimicrobial Stewardship in Primary Care: A Narrative Review.Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesWe aimed to explore the acceptance and opinions of general practitioners (GPs) on the use of procalcitonin point-of-care and lung ultrasonography for managing patients with lower respiratory tract infections in primary care. We suppose that there are several factors that can influence the physician's antibiotic prescribing decision, and the implementation of a new tool will only be possible when it can be inserted into the physician's daily practice, helping him/her in the decision-making process.
designSemistructured interviews; data analysis using the grounded theory method.
settingLausanne, Switzerland.
participants12 GPs who participated in the randomised clinical trial UltraPro, which evaluated the impact of the use of procalcitonin only or an algorithm combining procalcitonin and lung ultrasonography on antibiotic prescription.
resultsGPs had mostly positive attitudes towards the use of point-of-care procalcitonin in lower respiratory tract infections and uncertainties regarding the usefulness of ultrasonography. Physicians' prescribing decisions result from interactions between three kinds of TrustS (core category): 'self-confidence', 'trust in the results' and 'trust in the doctor-patient relationship'. Procalcitonin reinforced the three levels of trust, while ultrasonography only strengthened the physician-patient relationship. To facilitate implementation of procalcitonin, physicians pointed out the need of coverage by insurance and of clear guidelines describing the targeted patient population.
conclusionsOur data show that there is a preference for the implementation of procalcitonin rather than lung ultrasonography for the management of patients with lower respiratory tract infections in primary care. Coverage by insurance plans and updated guidelines are prerequisite to the successful implementation of procalcitonin testing in primary care. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03191071.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.